by Steven G. Atkinson or take a short side trip to visit our advertisers.
Printing Tips
These are logical common sense tips to save money on your printing. Are you doing them?
Don’t Print Unless Needed
When you receive an email or reviewing a document, do you automatically print it to read and/or review? If the paper goes in the recycle bin shortly after being printed it’s not needed.
Print Only What Is Needed
Following an email thread and want to print to keep for your records. Instead of printing the entire thread, which may be a number of pages long with much of it already in the paper file, only print what is new.
Use Draft Mode
Using the draft mode of the printer will conserve ink or laser toner. The print may be a bit lighter, but the savings in ink or toner adds up quickly. The only time really not to print in draft mode is the final draft and the sent copy.
Use Recycled Paper
Only an original that is distributed needs to be printed on the best paper. Use cheaper recycled paper for drafts and ordinary printing.
Print on Both Sides
Seems logical. Printing on both sides of the paper can safe half of the paper used.
Have The Printer Use Sleep Mode
Less electric is used when the printer is sleeping. Less electric means energy savings.
Telephones and Customer Service
Sometimes what may look like a nice technology advancement may in reality be a Customer Service nightmare. Whenever we use technology in business we need to relate it back to how we do business and our principles.
Auto Attendant
Many businesses uses these. They are without an doubt a cost saver. A business doesn’t have to have a call taking receptionist. Just let the automatic voice answer the telephone and with a short menu of command they are directed to where they need to go.
However many businesses have Auto Attendants that are useless or just confusing to the caller. After listening to the commands was that 1 for John at Sales? Or maybe it was 2. Or I was looking to reach Jane and she’s not mentioned. That’s because she has replaced John, but the Auto Attendant was not changed.
Or after the list of items were given, but none of the options seem to be the one the caller wants.
And then there’s the problem when each and every item takes the caller to another menu or a Voice Mail Box.
Voice Mail
It has become a to common practice for some people to always have Voice Mail answer their calls. Or to give their caller no idea on when they may be receiving the Voice Mail and having their call returned. I’m sure many of us have place a call to a person, leave a message, or two or a dozen only to discover two weeks later that they had just started their two weeks vacation.
Some of these problems can be resolved simply by using common sense. Answer the telephone with a real person who can make a quick decision on the right place to direct the caller. If an Auto Attendant is necessary, check its options and correctness. Always check after any type of office change.
Change the Voice Mail greeting as often as needed. For some people that may only be a few times during the year. An office worker who is at the desk just about every day and the call only rarely goes to Voice Mail and when it does the call is returned within the hours, may only need to change it when they are on leave.
Others may need to change it a few times during the day.
Then again the business can, and really should have a Telephone Usage Policy that is in place and followed by all.
What’s Your Password?
Just about everything has a password associated with it. But many of us are not doing a good job at password creation as usage.
Do you …
Use the same password?
Many of us create one password and use it everywhere. Once the password is discovered by a scammer/hacker then it can be used.
Have personal information as part of your password?
Many of us use our children or pet names or other personal information as part of the password. A hacker can and will be able to discover this information and use it to decode the password.
Use a real word?
There are software programs that can go through everyword in the dictionary until the the right password is discovered.
Write the password down and keep it close to the computer?
Yes, it’s not a good idea, but we all seem to do it.
Password Best Practices
Since many places allow passwords that are case sensitive, use both upper and lower case letters in the password. such as: PaSSworD – Note never use password, or common sequence of letters (abcdef) or numbers (12345) as a password. Those are the most common ones.
Have special characters and/or numbers as part of the password.
Use initials of a phrase that is easy to remember.
Use different passwords for everything.
Are You Communicating Safe
One thing for certain, there are people out there trying to get your money in ways that are illegal. It even happens to business through their use of telecommunications.
Here are some helpful tips to try to keep your money in your pocket. Some of these may seem like ancient history, but could still happen.
Don’t be slammed. Slamming is when your long-distance telephone service is switched to another company without your permission. This could happen in many ways, it could be in the form of what appears to be a check, cashing it will allow them to change your present service to theirs, usually at a much higher rate. Another way is to receive a telephone call offering you lower rates, even declining the service you may have been switched.
Watch for Cramming. Cramming is when optional services such as voice mail, paging, a personal 800 numbers or club membership appears on your telephone bill. This can happen, like slamming, by filling out a contest entry form, failing to respond to a negative option sales pitch, or calling a 900 number. It can happen simply by the crammer picking your telephone number out of the blue and placing charges on your bill through your local telephone company by claiming that you agreed to purchase the services.
Be aware of scams. Two of the most common ones are the “809 area code” and the “90#” scam. The 809 scam is a valid concern since 809 appears as a usual US area code but you’re actually connected to a phone number outside the United States, in the Caribbean, and charged international call rates to some number. Other area codes associated with this are 284 and 876. Because they are outside of US they are not under any US regulations. The “90#” is also true, but only to a degree. It only works on systems that require a user to dial a ‘9’ for an outside line and there aren’t any other restrictions placed on the service.
Because of these things it’s important that you check your telephone bill each and every month. It’s your right to dispute any charges you do not agree, but you should put those reasons in writing. Be sure to pay your bill on time, you may subtract the disputed amount and any taxes or fees associated with it along with written notice on the reason for your dispute. Your phone service should not be disconnected, but be aware that these charges could be referred to a collection agency.
© 2006-20010 Steven G. Atkinson – All rights reserved
Some of the Social Networking Sites
While I am a firm believer in Social Media, I do not think that everyone should be using them. Nor would I think any less of you if the decision is made not to use any of them. But I do think a decision needs to be made one way or another and not just sit back and ignore them.
This post will list a few of the most common ones. There are many others. I use, to some degree, all of these. Along with the listings I will give my address so if you wish you can follow me.
Twitter
Twitter.com. is listed as “best way to share and discover what is happening right now”. Members have 140 characters to get their message out to their subscribers or, in the twittering world, followers. This site is on twitter at Twitter.com/SMBTechTips and I am on at Twitter.com/StevenGAtkinson.
Facebook
Facebook.com is a social networking website where users gathers friends. Once friends are added you can send them messages, share photos, and share a personal profile to notify friends about themselves. Additionally, users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region. Facebook pages are used by businesses and other organizations to share the same type of information. I am on facebook at Facebook.com/steven.atkinson.
LinkedIn
Linkedin.com is a business-oriented social networking site and is mainly used for professional networking. The site allows for a member to keep a list of business contacts, called connections. When a connection is made, it’s generally with a person that they know and trust. My Linkedin page is www.linkedin.com/in/sgatkinson
MySpace
MySpace.com may not be the oldest of the Social Networking sites, but it was for a time the biggest. Facebook has recently overtaken it to become number 1. Unless you are in the entertainment industry, it is not one that I would recommend for business. I have not used MySpace in over a year.
Social Media
In 2009 one of the new buzz words was Social Media. As we move into 2010, it doesn’t appear as if Social Media is going away. At the same time many people and businesses are trying to not only understand Social Medial, but how it will help them.
Marketers are coming out of the woodwork telling you which Social Media platform SMB’s should use as well as how you should be using them.
We are in a quick changing world. Everyday there seems to be something new or a change in the old ways. Social Media is one of these quick changing items. Spending the time to understand, learn and use Social Media may just not be practical. Not worth the investment. And that’s alright.
With traditional media, whether it’s print, TV, Radio or others, most of the time is place up front. Putting together the advertising program and preparing the copy. Once it’s out there, it can run unchanged for as long as you want.
Social Media is mostly real time. It can not stay stagnant. One thing you can not do is open an account of one of the Social Media sites, put together a page and expect people to visit it. They probably won’t and if left alone, those who have visited will stop coming back.
Opening an account is just the first step in a long process. But just like any other trip once you open the door and take your first step, you must know where you are heading and how you plan on getting there.
Plan on spending some time on the site everyday, and during a time when those who are interested in your message are there to hear it. Remember Social Media is mostly real time. And give them information they want to hear. Slamming them constantly with a ‘buy this’ message will probably do one thing. Drive them away.
There are many Social Networking sites available. It will probably be a waste of time to try to work them all. So you need to be a little prep work to decide which one, if any, is the one for you.
Knowing your market and what they will tolerate will direct you in how to use Social Media. Each of the sites are different and have a different type of follower.
Gearing towards the teen market?
In general they don’t twitter, nor are they a big user of Facebook. Their social media seems to be more in the direction of one-to-one text messaging, YouTube and to a lesser degree MySpace.
Gearing towards the aging market?
Facebook is reported to have on average over 50 percent of their new members being over the age of 50. Many of these new members are women.
Looking for Business to Business contacts?
LinkedIn is used by business professionals from around the world.
A friend of mine, Michael Angelo Caruso a Personal Development speaker, has termed Facebook as the new White Pages and LinkedIn as the new Yellow Pages. I’m not sure I totally agree with him. Facebook may be turning into the new White Pages, but I see LinkedIn more as the new Business-to-Business Yellow Pages. Facebook Pages seem, to me, to be closer to the new Yellow Pages.
This is the first on a series of articles on Social Media.
Looking Ahead
As 2009 close, I am beginning to look ahead to 2010. In 2009 there were not as many new informational posting as I would have liked. I am hoping to change this in 2010.
Beginning on Monday January 4th, I will be doing a set of articles on Social Media.
Twitter is one of the Social Media sites and SMBTechTips is on Twitter at Twitter.com/SMBTechTips. We will be twittering links to articles and other news that we feel is of importance to Small Business. By following our tweeks you will be able to check them out.
My plans is to try to stick to a schedule of having a tip or other information piece published each work day (Monday Through Friday). The majority of these will be new articles (3 or more) and the rest being a repeated or updated older article.
My book – Technology Tips for Small Business – was originally published three years ago. It is long due for an update and I am planning on having a new edition finished and available my mid-year.
For those new to the site, I hope you get some valuable information and come back often. For those who have been a regular reader, I give many thanks.
One reflection I do have on going into 2010. It seems as if time goes by fast. I first began doing a blog of Technology Tips in early 2006. It sure doesn’t seem that it’s been nearly four years. Also for those who were around 10 years ago when everyone was in a panic about Y2K, does it seem as if it’s been 10 years. It’s amazing how fast 10 years can go by and how many changes can occur in those 10 years.
Here’s hoping we will still be here and enjoying life in 2020. Have a question please ask it.
Technology Budgeting
The beginning of a new year may also be a time to consider new technology. Or maybe it’s just a good time to be looking at the technology budget. When preparing the budget on new technology it’s important to look at everything that is needed within the project. Sometimes the proposal that is received from a vendor is only one piece of the entire project.
When looking over the total cost of a project, those cost can be put into one of three categories. Those are One-time cost, Annual operation expense, and additional support services.
The following is a suggested checklist when putting to getting a technology budget.
Hardware
• If purchasing new software is the current hardware adequate or is will new hardware need to be acquired?
Integration
• Is the new technology a stand-alone item?
• Will it need to be integrated into other current installed hardware or with existing software?
• Even it’s not being integrated into existing hardware or software, it is being incorporated in the way the company does business.
• Who is going to be doing the integration and what is that cost?
Site Preparation
• Are changes going to be needed in the physical location of the new technology?
• Is new or additional furniture needed?
• Is the electrical or telecommunication infrastructure adequate?
• Is the environmental system?
Training
• What is included in the training package?
• Who gets trained?
• How many?
• How much time will be allocated?
• Where will the training take place?
Documentation
• Are you getting any?
• What is included? Installation manuals? Operational manuals? User guides?
• It may be of benefit to have a user guide created specifically for the company and those costs would need to be included.
Additional required products
• Are any pre-existing hardware or software needed prior to installation?
• Does pre-existing hardware meet the new software requirements?
• Are upgrades or current hardware or software needed?
Installation
• Who is doing the installation?
• Are the costs in the proposal?
• Cost for after installation changes and modifications?
• Are other support people needed? Do they need to be on-site or on-call or would telephone support be enough?
After Installation Support
• What kind of support is offered after installation?
• When is the support available? 24/7? 40/5?
• Response time?
• How much free support, how long and how much?
Annual fees
• Are there recurring annual software licensing or maintenance fees?
• Is there a termination policy on maintenance contracts with an out clause?
• Who can cancel contracts and timeframe to do so?
These are just some of many items that may need to be evaluated when doing a technology budget.
Merry Christmas
SMB Technology Tips Wishes
Everyone a Happy Holidays
Text Messaging Codes – Not For Business Use
420 – Marijuana-smoking
8 – Oral Sex
Banana – Penis
FB – F*** Buddy
FOL – Fond of Leather
GNOC – Get Naked On Cam
GYPO – Get Your Pants Off
IMEZRU – I Am Easy, Are You?
IWSN – I Want Sex Now
ILF/MD – I Love Female/Male Dominance
J/O – Jerking Off
KFY or K4Y – Kiss For You
Kitty – Vagina
LMIRL – Let’s Meet In Real Life
NIFOC – Nude In Front Of The Compute
PRON – Porn
Q2C – Quick To Cum
RU/18 – Are You Over 18?
RUH – Are You Horny?